The skin of the nipple is very delicate, and during breastfeeding it is subjected to an unusually strong impact. The baby's nipples will be firm enough, and after birth, he will need to be breastfed at least 10 times a day for the next few days. In this case, it is not surprising that cracks appear.
The skin layer gradually thickens, the risk of injury decreases, and the discomfort disappears. In other words, nipple cracking during breastfeeding is a common problem in the first days of a baby's life.
There are a number of factors that cause cracking:
👉Putting the child on the breast incorrectly. The child's mouth should completely cover the nipple and areola. In this case, the force generated during sucking is evenly distributed, and milk enters the child's mouth easily. If the baby covers only the nipple, it becomes difficult to release milk from the breast, as a result of which the child begins to squeeze and pull this area even more. This causes damage to the breast skin. At the same time, milk remains in the breast, dampness (lactostasis) is formed, which can cause inflammation - mastitis;
👉 Incorrect shape of the nipple. If the pacifier is flat or pulled in, it will be more difficult for the child to hold it properly and this increases the possibility of damage and cracking;
👉 Improper weaning of the child. If an attempt is made to separate the baby from the breast while he is sucking, he will instinctively squeeze the nipple even harder and injure his skin. The child can be taken from the breast only after it is empty;
👉Long-term absorption. Breastfeeding should not last more than 30 minutes — by this time there will be no milk left in the mammary glands, but the baby will continue to damage the breast. If the baby is holding the breast tightly, it helps to put a clean finger in the side of the mouth to loosen it;
👉 Improper milking. During pre-milking, squeezing the milk too strongly by hand or using pumps can cause cracks to appear;
👉Mixed feeding. If the baby is fed sometimes with breast milk, and sometimes with artificial mixtures from the bottle, the child's settings of how hard to suck milk from the breast will be "broken". Therefore, it can create too much pressure during suction. In addition, the "technique" of sucking from an artificial nipple and from the breast is different, so mixed feeding sometimes causes the child to hold the nipple incorrectly;
👉Extreme hygiene. Frequent use of soap destroys the water-lipid layer that protects the skin. As a result, the skin dries out and cracks may appear. It is recommended to use products with a neutral pH up to two times a day. It is very important to pay attention to the composition of hygiene products: all components must be safe for the baby. The use of alcohol solutions is strictly prohibited - they dry the skin and destroy the lipid layer;
Lack of vitamins and minerals. During pregnancy, a woman's body supplies the fetus with the necessary useful substances, and after childbirth, it often experiences a lack of necessary elements. Hypovitaminosis, a lack of trace elements leads to a decrease in the elasticity and protective properties of the skin, which in turn causes cracks to appear on the nipples of women;
👉Molochnitsa in the mucous membrane of the oral cavity in a child. If the child's mouth has a discharge caused by Candida albicans fungi, it means that these microbes come into contact with the skin of the breast every time the child is breastfed.